𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐌𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 | 𝔸𝕚𝕫𝕖𝕟 𝕊𝕠𝕦𝕤𝕦𝕜𝕖

𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝

( 𝖞𝖊𝖆𝖗 1790, 𝖆𝖕𝖗𝖎𝖑 5𝖙𝖍 )

The sun was slow to appear in the sky that day and the cool remained to hang over everyone at the Seidou estate. The buildings were quiet though packed with a few courtesans who are eager to do whatever it is that they do, either to please their lord or tittle-tattle about their daily lives while having a morning tea at the garden as the candles that helped to provide some light to the peaceful night only added to the mild chilliness.

For once in a while, this morning did go well for Sousuke as he woke up from his futon looking quite relaxed. Even though his hair is a bit messy and his face slightly somnolent, he remained innocently handsome and elegant as it always was as before.

Rubbing his eyes lightly while making a soft yawn before fixing his bed then suddenly, he almost broke his jade mirror after making his futon. Relieved that it is not damaged, he places the mirror on the side of the wall before exiting the room. Sousuke saw his mother prepared a simple meal on the table as he sat on the floor while waiting for her.

"Good morning, my son." She greeted him with a gentle smile, pouring tea on his cup.

Smiling in return, he said in an almost sleepy tone. "Good morning to you too, mother.

"How are you feeling today?"

"Tired, but a bit better." He replied before taking a sip of his tea.

"That's good to hear. Now, I want you to eat for breakfast." His mother places the teapot on its side of the table as Sousuke looked down at his full breakfast meal. A bowl of miso soup, a bowl of Gohan rice, a bowl of pickled vegetables, and lastly seaweed. All of them are in front of him, ready to be eaten. His mother's meal, on the other hand, is only a bowl of the same rice and the same soup. The portion of his mother's current meal was no surprise, yet this concerns him about her well-being since she took care of him his whole life.

He deeply wishes that his sickness wouldn't let her do the difficult tasks she had endured, mostly her time as a maidservant responsible for taking care of the miscellaneous chores just so as to earn enough money to feed themselves.

Silent as he becomes, Sousuke watches his mother eat her meal feeling quite guilty of his long-term illness. Suddenly, she notices her son didn't touch his food, not even a bite. Worried by this, Murasaki asked him in a concerned tone.

"Sousuke dear, why are you not eating? You have to finish all of your food, just to keep you healthy."

"Mother, why do you always have to suffer just for me?"

Her eyes softened and suddenly smiled as she gave him a simple answer that would surprise the young man. "I would happily risk my life over and over, just to keep you safe and let you live a longer life, my son."

Those such caring and loving words touched his hidden heart, knowing how much his mother truly loved him to the deepest core. She is the only person whom he looked up to, and will always be for the rest of his life. After all, Mothers are endowed with a love that is unlike any other love on the face of the earth. He is honestly glad that he was raised by a warmhearted mother who is committed to love her child into standing on a higher ground than the environment surrounding him.

Sousuke felt his hand touched by her, stroking it gently as if his mother is reassuring him that she will be fine and well enough. Still smiling at him genuinely, he returns the favor by giving her as well. And with this, he begins to take a bite as they both eat together silently enjoying the peaceful sound of the birds' chirping and the soft winds.

❀ ·.·'¯'·.·❀

After having a pleasant breakfast with his mother, he as usual goes to have a walk in the forest while holding a book in his hand just to read under the tree in silence.